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Left realism - has evidence

Left realism - has evidence

2. Main Point

Point 4 Unlike Marxists, they do not see statistics for the rise in black and working class crime as entirely socially constructed. They agree that statistics are biased to a certain extent due to police racism, but argue that in spite of this, the official statistics are largely correct in their conclusions that the working class and in some areas in London, Afro-Caribbeans, do actually commit most crime. They challenge the work of Gilroy who claims that the high rate of Afro-Caribbean crime is due to biased policing. Left Realists argue that there must be some truth in the statistics and that blacks may commit some crimes disproportionately to their numbers in the population because they have more reason to.

It may unintentionally support stereotypes(Cicourel). Marxists accuse them of selling out by implying working class and ethnic minorities commit more crime.

Point 5 Left Realists have conducted victim studies in inner city areas. They argue that national victim surveys do not present an accurate picture of the impact of crime because people in inner city areas are more likely to be victims of crime. Their famous study was in Islington.

They found the following:-Compared to other areas, people living in Islington were much more likely to be victims of crime and also more likely to be repeat victims.-Fear of crime was high and linked to factors such as poor street lighting, youths hanging about on street corners etc.-People were influenced by the media hype that the police were unable to cope with crime.-60% of the population gave ‘fear of crime’ as their reason for not going out, although some of these developed strategies for going out.-36% of women never went out at night for fear of crime. This fear for women was rational as they were more likely to be victims of crime in Islington: -Women were 40% more likely to suffer a non-sexual attack than men. -Sexual assault for women in Islington was 14 times the national average. -Over 50% of women had experienced sexual harassment of some kind. -20% of women interviewed knew someone who had been sexually assaulted in the last year.-Lea and Young introduce the idea of the ‘square of crime.’ This refers to four elements who are involved in any crime, the offender, the victim, informal control such as the public and the state in terms of the police and laws. Other theories of crime focus on one or two of these elements but Lea and Young argue that to understand crime, all four elements need to be considered.

In order to illustrate the idea of the square of crime consider domestic violence. The role of each 4 groups will influence how it is perceived as a crime and reinforced.There must be a law to prevent it from happening (State)The existence of the law is influenced by the needs and campaigns of the public (Informal control)The law is broken by the offenderThe offence is committed against the victim.

Lea and Young, unlike Right Realists, put forward a theory of crime to suggest why Afro-Caribbeans and working class may actually commit more crime. They agree that actual poverty may not necessarily result in crime.

They explain crime in terms of three concepts.Relative deprivation (Like Mertons strain theory) may lead to crime. This is when certain groups may feel that they are deprived of the consumer goods, incomes, life chances and opportunities that most people in their society share, through no fault of their own (Albert Cohen - Subculturalism) . Working class youths may compare themselves with middle class youth and Afro-Caribbean youths may compare themselves with white youths (Gilroy - Ethnicity). They may feel that they do not have the chance to share in the standard of living of the majority because of restricted opportunities and racism. Young blacks born in Britain will have been socialised by the media into aspiring for middle class lifestyles and consumption patterns, only to be denied them.Marginalisation (Like Merton's strain theory) is when certain groups may feel pushed out of society with little chance to protest or power to change or improve their lives. They lack organisations to represent their interests in political life. Groups that are unemployed will have little access to Trade Unions, a traditional organisation that working class people used to negotiate better conditions and wages. Negative treatment by the police and authorities may increase their resentment of society. Lea and Young argue that marginal groups in society are particularly prone to the use of violence and riots as forms of political action.Subcultures may be formed as a response to relative deprivation and marginalisation. This provides a collective solution (Opposite to Merton) to problems felt by a group and helps them cope. Working class and black youth may turn to drug pushing and street crimes as a group. Other solutions for some Afro-Caribbeans might be Rastafarianism or Pentecostalism.The combination of these three factors can help explain crimes such as theft, burglary, mugging and also violent crimes, as relative deprivation can cause frustration. Relative deprivation can also help explain white collar crime as it can occur in all social classes.

Solutions They have conducted several local victim studies in poorer areas and presented their findings to the police so that police are aware of the fear of crime in these areas.One of their main solutions is to improve policing in these areas. Kinsey, Lea and Young argue that the key to police success lies in improving their relationships with the community. They argue stop and search policies are largely ineffective as they rarely find anything and they antagonise the local people on whom the police rely - just find crime that would otherwise go unnoticed. They argue the police should spend more of their time trying to investigate crime.They argue local residents are more aware than anyone of the problems and crimes in their areas. They therefore suggest that the police should work with young people to tackle the real issues of crime and that local committees should be set up with prominent members and the police to set police priorities in these areas.There should be more investment in these areas to try to provide jobs with prospects, income inequalities should be reduced, and to improve the living standards of poorer familiesMoney should be spent on improving leisure facilities for the young, and providing community facilities which create a sense of belonging, such as skate parks.

It offers practical solutions to the study of crime e.g. skate parks

It puts forward a theory of why poorer groups in society may commit crime

They do not offer evidence to support their theory of crime. They did not research young people and their motives for crime.

It draws on other theories in its explanation of crime.

It ignores the crimes of the rich and powerful. - focuses on WC crime

There are criticisms of their emphasis on subcultures. It is doubtful whether there is just one set of mainstream values.

Point 2 Left Realists focus on street crime and disagree with the Marxist focus on white collar crime. By focusing on white collar and corporate crime, Marxists ignore the real violence and damage done by street crime.

They argue that there has been a real rise in street crime and that this increase has been so great it cannot be solely a result of changes in reporting and recording crime. Young points to the British Crime Survey results which show a significant increase in the reporting of street crimes. Their victim survey of Islington suggested that in some urban areas, people were multiple victims of crime and lived their lives in fear of crime. Although the chances of being a victim of street crime are rare, for people who live in inner city areas and working class areas, the chances are much higher.

Crimes are concentrated in urban areas and in particular, in inner city areas. For example, unskilled workers are twice as likely to be burgled as other groups. In some of the poorer areas of London, the chances of being mugged might be four times the average for the city as a whole. Findings from the British Crime Survey backed this up. Their victim surveys found that fear of crime was widespread in these areas. The Islington Survey found that 80% of those surveyed saw crime as a problem affecting their lives and 35% felt unsafe in their own homes. Many people, particularly women, altered their behaviour to avoid becoming victims of crime. They argue that the police focus on street crime, not because they are agents of the upper class as Marxists argue, but because that is what people fear the most. For many working class and black people, burglary and mugging are the real problem.

It focuses on the victims of crime more than other theories.

Point 1: Left Realists accuse Marxists of ‘romanticising the criminal’ by presenting them as trying to resist capitalism. Left Realists do not agree that working class boys and young black boys commit crime as a political protest against capitalism. They argue that this cannot be the case as most working class crime is opportunistic and committed against the working class, not against capitalists.

Point 3 They criticise Marxists and Interactionists for not offering any practical solutions to crime and therefore not tacking the problem of crime.

It focuses on the victims of crime more than other theories.

1. Summary

New Left Realism stems from Marxism and Interactionism. However, it is criticises these approaches because Realists argue that both these approaches tend to sympathise with the criminals and ignore the actual victims of crime. Realism focuses on the victims of crime.New Left Realists accept that criminal statistics are biased, but still argue that members of ethnic minority groups and working class youth are more likely to commit crime because they have more reason to do so.

Left Realism, similar to Right Realism, developed in the 1980s out of despair with the ineffectiveness of other sociological theories to solve crime. They claim to treat crime as a real problem, to consider the victims of crime and to put forward practical solutions to crime. Also similar to Right Realism, they are critical of other theories of crime and claim that they don’t pay enough attention to the victims of crime and do not put forward any real solutions to crime.New Left Realism developed from Marxism and has been heavily influenced by Marxist ideas. Jock Young, an influential Left Realist, was one of the founders of Neo-Marxism. They agree with Marxism that society is exploitative and unequal but on other points, Left Realists are also critical of Marxism.